A British expat shares tales of living and travelling in Portugal. More Info
May 8, 2012
A friend recently visited me here in Portugal and when I asked her what she liked about the country, I wasn’t surprised when she said, “I feel safe here.” I do too. I feel free to explore and enjoy and that’s not something I take for granted. Let me give you an example. When I visit a new place, I… Read more…
May 1, 2012
The last thing I expected to see in the grid of shopping streets in Lisbon’s Baixa district was a couple of men in hessian suits wearing blood red devil masks. They weren’t alone, either. A very odd couple with distorted, bubble gum pink papier maché faces danced past me and the other bemused onlookers to the beat of the drums… Read more…
March 27, 2012
No, not witty or inspirational things that other people have said. I mean estimated costs. One of the things I find frustrating about living in Portugal is how difficult it is to get quotes for work that needs doing. To my way of thinking, it’s in a company’s interests to provide potential clients with the information that they need promptly… Read more…
March 20, 2012
The rejuvenating properties of white cement are noticeable in the lakeside town of Santa Comba Dão (aka the ‘Princess of the Dão) in central Portugal. Like botox for buildings, the cement has been used extensively to smooth out the deep gaps that had formed between the granite blocks of traditional buildings. The rough stones are now boldly outlined in white, creating a lace-like… Read more…
March 8, 2012
An attempt to beat the crowds at last year’s international chocolate festival in Óbidos backfired on me. Having been warned that the town’s narrow medieval streets would be teeming with families on Sunday afternoon, I decided to delay my visit until the following day, hoping things would be a bit calmer. I arrived on Monday morning to find the town… Read more…
February 27, 2012
I’d always wanted a dog but never had the lifestyle to commit to looking after one until I settled in Portugal. Having agreed that the time was right for us to adopt a dog, and done a bit of research, Mike and I turned up at the municipal kennels in Coimbra one Tuesday afternoon. We walked around the cages, almost deafened by… Read more…
February 19, 2012
Long before Shakespeare created Romeo and Juliet, Portugal had its own real life romantic tragedy within the royal family in the shape of Pedro and Inês. Their love story has become legend and inspiration for poets and artists throughout the ages. With each telling of the tale, it becomes harder to differentiate between fact and fiction but the elements of… Read more…
February 16, 2012
There’s been a lot going on in the world of fado lately. Portugal recently succeeded in getting its traditional music genre listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in November 2011, amid an array of fado related events and promotions. That’s all very well for those that like listening to it but if I have to hear Mariza complaining that “it wasn’t… Read more…
February 16, 2012
Fireworks? Tick. Orchestra? Tick. Massive crowds? Tick. A knight in the air? Tick. Psychedelic lights and stunning graphics projected onto buildings? Tick. Gigantic metal horse and fibreglass man puppets? Tick. What more could anyone possibly want from an opening event? An all night street party? Oh, all right then, if you insist; after all, this is the beginning of a year… Read more…
February 16, 2012
Look downhill from my balcony and you’ll see the U-bend of the River Alva flowing past our house before it curls back around the village. The water froths and tumbles over the rocks beneath the tiny weir, providing a constant soundtrack to life in Moura Morta. I hardly notice it these days but on hot summer nights, when the bedroom window is… Read more…
